Hollow metal tile.



J'. H. SHERMAN.

HOLLOW METAL TILE,

APPLICATION FILED 1350419. 1910.

Patented NOV. 28, 1911.

JAMES H. SHERMAN, F KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

HOLLOW METAL TILE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. es, 19114.

pplicatonled December 19, 1810. Serial No. 598,630..

To all wilma it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jamie SHERMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of* Jackson and a 1 ollow reticnlated or oraminous metal' State of Missouri, have invented certain new land: useful Improvements in Hollow Metal Tiles, of which the following'is a specification.

This invention relates to cement structure appliances, and has for its primary, object to roduce asa new article of manufacture,

tile for cement door construction.

, The ordinary clay tile employed for sup' porting cement'oorings between the joists or gir-ders provides an edective Hooring sup- `port and also a surface to which cement or l plaster will lproperly adhere to torni lthe ceiling ci an underlying room but such tiles are comparatively heavy and where the span from center to center of the tiles is sixteen inchesor more, each tile is strengthened and incidentally increased in weight by the provision oi' one or more vertical partitions.

i have found that what may be termed an expanded metal tile possesses an-advanl. tage over the ordinary tile in being oi less Weight and oi equal or greater strength and incidentally adording as eilicient support for the door and ceiling cement orplaster. The great advantage derived from the employment oi 'expanded metal tiles is the saving etiected in the cost-of the flooring due to the use oit" lighter metal girders, struts, etc.

With the object named in view, the .invention consists in making a hollow tile from expanded metal and in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization of the tile, as hereinafter'described v and claimed-paladin order that it may be fully understood reference' is to be had tothe accompanying drawing, in which-f.-

*ligure l, is a. plan view of a cement/floor with parts broken away to disclose hollow metal tlles of foraminous metal Fig. 2 is a ksection on the line II'-.]I of Fig. 1. F1g. 3,

. is a detail perspective view` of a section of sheet metal from which one of the stiiened ends of the tile is formed. Fig. .4, is -a pervet spective view showing .how the section is creased. and bent .to produce avertical stiffenlngflange. Fi 5, is a perspective view,v showin .one of t e com leted corners of. a.v

tile. 1g. 6, is a view similar to Fig. 3, of a section lfrom which a rib for the tile is produced. Fig. 7, is a perspective view of a full lenth rib provided with a vertical stiening ange produced by properly bend ing the section. Fig. 8, is a perspective view showing how the rib is bent 1n thehiormation of the tile. Fig.9, is a perspective view of a completed corner as produced by the proper bending of the'rlb. Fig.10, is a\ similar view showing one of the completed corners rovided with a stiffening reinforce plate. ig. l1, is an end View of a tile stiil'ened by means of inclined braces.

. in making the tile l employ an oblong sheet ofmetal, preferably expanded metal, though not so shown in Figs. l and 2 because of the diculty of correctly i1lustrating expanded metal on such a small scale, said gures conventionally illustrating the oraminous metal as wire fabric, andv said sheet of ioraminous metal is provided at opposite margins with solid -Qr imperorate portions or strips, and/ii thetile is twelve disconnected from the sheet but will preferably be formed integrally therewith, andthe same is true ci Fig. fl, which shows oneof the solid or imperforate portions hereinl --aiter described. 'ilhe marginal solid or im perforate portions, l, are provided-at suitable distances apart -with three or our transverse slits v2 (only one being shown) extending preferably from one of its edges about three-fourths of the distance toward the opposite ed e.

The so id or imperforate portions 3 are each provided with transverse slits 4,spaced 'apart to correspond With'slits 2, but diil'ering from the latter in that they extend from the center about half way to each of the.

Imargins of the portion. The marginal portions'are bent along the dotted line 5 so that the parts at the opposite sides of the line 5 sha'llfstand at right angles to each other, the

W-ide part constituting a stiii'ening rib 6, for

ythe narrow part 7. The solid or imperf.

rate portion or portions are then bent along dotted lline 8, and then. reversely bent along the dotted lines 9, so that the doubled s'littedv .part shall constitute a sti'ening rib 10 for the parts 11 outward of the ends of the slits, said parts outward of the sald slits stand l`at right angles to the said flange and occupy the same plane as the body of the sheetl and parts 7. In each solid' or imperforate marginal portion or strip the slitted part vforms a vertical rib of slngle thickness of the metal. VIn the intermediate solid or imperforate portions or strips the slitted parts constitute double-thickness ribs as shown in Fig. 7. At thisV stage o the process the sheet consists of an expanded portion or portions 12, a pair of marginal portions 1, provided with single thiclmess ribs 6, of the character shown'in Fig. 5, and one or more intermediate solid or imperforate portions 3, with double thickness ribs 10, of the character shown in Fig. 7. In the plane of the slits 2 and 3 the entire sheet is now bent to I, form a hollow tile, preferably of rectangular form in cross section, 13 indicating the horizontal walls of the tile and v14 the vertical'walls. In the bending of the sheet to form the tile, the ends of the ribs overlap as shown most clearly in Fi s. 8 and 9, and are secured rigidly together yl rivets 15, it being obvious that the slitting of-the sheet was necessary yto permit the ribs to pass and overlap as explained.

Instead of securing the overlapped ends of the ribs by' rivets 15, reinforce angle plates 16, may be riveted or otherwise secured to the adjacent ends of the ribs or the tile may be braced against collapsing movement by inclined cross braces 17, as shown in Fig. 11. From the foregoing it will be apparent that by the treatment of expanded metal as described, extremely light, strong-and rigid tilesnre produced, which tiles, like the ordinary clay tiles, are arranged between the i girders or joists 18 of a tioor with the marginal solid or imperforate portions and the' solid or imperforatey intermediate portionsY extending transversely of'said girders o1' joists, thetiles being fitted end to end as shown in Fig. 2. 4

The tiles are supported in position in any suitable lmanner so that plastic cement may be poured upon them and leveled with the customary iioat or other tool. u

The bottom of the expanded metal tile provides a surface upon 'which cement or other plastic material may -be placed in the customary manner, to form the, ceiling for the room below. l V v As hereinbefore stated, tiles of the character described will lreduce the floor Ioadi about ten per cent-and thus permit of the struts, etc., ordinarily employed in the door construction, it being obvious that the reduction in the weight of the metal employed diminishes the cost of the building in a proportionate degree.

A The expanded metal tile may be shipped with practically no lossfby breakage, and because of their extreme v lightness many more of them can be loaded in a freight car than of the clay tile.

'From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced an expanded met-al tile stitfened at its ends and if vof relatively lar e size, at intermediate points, possessing t e features of advantage enumerated, and I Wish it to be understood that I reserve the right to make such changes in the form, proportion, organization `and detail construction as properly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. A hollow metal tile in the form of a substantially rectangular tube open from end to end and consisting vof a foraminous body havin solid or imperforate margins, each side 0% each end .having an inwardly vprojecting flange with the ends of the juxtaposed flanges overlapping and secured t0- gether.

2. A hollow metal tile of substantially A rectangular form in cross section, consisting of 'a foramlnous body portion, havlng solid perforate portion dividing the lforaminous portlon into two separated sections and extending parallel with the said solid or imperforate margins, said partitioning or di'- viding portion being provided with inwardly projecting ribs with the ends of juxtaposed ribs overlapped.

3. A hollow metal t-ile of substantially rectangular form in cross section, consisting of a foraminous body portion, having solid 'or imperforate margins and a solid or imperforate portion dividing the foraminous portion into two separated sections and ,extending parallel with Vthe said solid' or imperforate margins, said partition or dividing portion being provided with inor imperforate margins and a solid or imwardly. projecting ribs with theends of v Ijuxtaposed ribs overlapped, and means for securing the end of the ribs rigidly together.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses. yf#

. vJ AMES H. SHERMAN.

Witnesses:

HELEN C. RoDGERs, G. Y. THORPE. 

